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Liverpool could be set to face a hefty fine following the VAR controversy in their match against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend. Jurgen Klopp's side had Luis Diaz's opening goal of the match ruled out after a mix-up between on-field referee Simon Hooper and VAR assistant Darren England, while a VAR intervention saw Curtis Jones' yellow card swapped for a straight red.

Diogo Jota was also sent off for a second bookable offense in the second half, leaving the Reds to try and hold onto a 1-1 draw with just nine men on the pitch. It came after Jones was controversially given a red after his foot appeared to slip over the top of the ball and into the leg of Yves Bissouma.

However, VAR saw that as a red card offence and the midfielder, despite pleading his innocence, was ordered off the pitch. But just a few minutes later, Diaz thought he'd put Liverpool 1-0 up before the linesman raised his flag for offside. But in a terrible mix-up, it was revealed that VAR assistant Darren England had thought the goal had been given on-field, leading to a ridiculous chain of events which led to the goal being ruled out despite clearly being onside.

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Two minutes later, Son Heung-min finished off a brilliant Spurs move to make it 1-0, before Cody Gakpo's equaliser just before half-time gave Liverpool hope of a comeback. But Jota's two yellow cards in quick succession early in the second half meant they'd remain on the back foot for the rest of the match and despite a resilient defensive performance, Joel Matip's 96th-minute own goal gifted Ange Postecoglou's side all three points.

After the match, Klopp admitted that despite the result and the controversy throughout the match, he was proud of his side's performance. "I was never more proud of the team than today. I never saw a game like this with the most unfair circumstances, crazy decisions.

"We scored an own goal, that is really tough to take but I am really proud. The first red card, Curtis steps on the ball and goes over. Not a bad tackle. It looks different in slow motion. He steps full throttle on the ball and goes over the ball. That is unlucky. [For Diogo Jota] first yellow was not a yellow. Then he gets a second and to defend with nine players is tricky.

"The offside goal. That is not offside when you see it, they drew their lines wrong. The ball is between Mo's legs, they drew the line wrong and didn't judge the moment when Mo passed the ball right. It is so tough to deal with it."

However, Liverpool could now face two separate fines after the match's conclusion. The first comes with the amount of cards they picked up, with both Jota and Jones being sent off. On top of that, Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and assistant manager Peter Krawietz all received yellows meaning the club are facing a £25,000 fine, the punishment usually handed out to clubs if they accumulate too many bookings in a match.

The second fine could go to Mac Allister himself, after a comment on Christian Romero's Instagram post saw him claim referee Hooper was playing for Spurs and Liverpool had to face 12 men. Players that speak out about refereeing performances are often reprimanded but it's currently unclear what his fine is likely to be.

Van Dijk was fined £100,000 and suspended for one match after being sent off against Newcastle last month after breaking FA rule E3.1, a rule designed to protect referees from on-and-off-pitch abuse. In the FA's guidebook, it states that any comments 'about match officials which imply bias or attack the officials' integrity' - whether on the pitch or social media - are considered breaches of the rule, meaning Mac Allister could be set for a similar fine.

Both would no doubt come as further grievances to the club, who released a statement claiming they'll be 'exploring the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution' after PGMOL apologised for the incidents. It now leaves Klopp's side without a flurry of options for their game against Brighton on Sunday afternoon.

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